Pokémon GO turns 10 today. The mobile AR hit from Niantic, first released in July 2016, is celebrating in July 2026 with a 10th Anniversary Party event that brings bonus XP, Stardust, and a special Gimmighoul carrying a 10th-anniversary coin, according to Niantic.
That anniversary says something about the game’s staying power. Since launch, Pokémon GO has crossed 1 billion downloads and pulled in more than $8 billion by early 2024, then roughly $9.8 billion by early 2026, based on third-party industry estimates. It hit a high of 232 million active players back in 2016 and still attracted about 55 million in 2023, also according to third-party estimates. Meanwhile, Pokémon GO Fest events in Tokyo, Chicago, and Copenhagen have helped keep the live-service machine running.
It also changed mobile gaming in a way that’s hard to overstate. Pokémon GO pushed AR, GPS-based play, and real-world exploration into the mainstream. Niantic said players walked 8.7 billion kilometers in 2016 alone. Businesses near popular spots often saw extra foot traffic. At the same time, the game’s legacy has always come with both sides attached: exercise, social connection, and well-being gains on one hand; criticism over accidents, trespassing, addiction concerns, privacy, and playing at sensitive locations on the other.
If you’re still playing, this anniversary update is probably one to pick up, especially now that the game is heading into its second decade under Scopely. That follows Scopely’s $3.5 billion deal for Niantic’s gaming division in March 2025. The game also keeps layering in new features, including Adventure Effects, avatar updates, and Dynamax and Gigantamax battles.
You can download Pokémon GO now on iOS and Android.
Author: Jesús Bosque
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